Zion Williamson: 'My intentions are to stay with the Pelicans my whole career'

Zion Williamson said he wants to play in New Orleans for his entire career, just like Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki did. (AP/Steve Marcus)

Players move around constantly in today’s NBA, bouncing from team to team.

While fans may not always like the ever-changing landscapes in the league, that’s just how it has evolved over time — which, admittedly, makes for some extremely interesting free agency periods.

Zion Williamson, however, isn’t interested in following the status quo.

If he has it his way, he’ll spend his entire career with the New Orleans Pelicans.

“Personally, I’ve always told myself I want to stay with one team,” Williamson said, via Complex. “Growing up, I loved what Kobe did and Dirk did ... Some people want to stay with one team but they get traded.

“My intentions are to stay with the Pelicans my whole career, but if something happens, I wouldn’t leave because I hate the place. It’s just the business.”

Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki, two of the best to ever play in the league, both spent their entire careers with one team — Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 seasons and Nowitzki with the Dallas Mavericks for 21 seasons, an NBA record.

Though it may seem simple, that’s not an easy task by any means. It takes a lot of factors, and a very special player, to remain in one city for an entire career. Even LeBron James, the best player in the league, has jumped around the NBA multiple times.

Yet after everything Williamson has shown the basketball world, it’s very plausible that the No. 1 overall draft pick has the pieces in place to be a one-player team. If he does, he could go down as one of the best professional athletes New Orleans has ever seen.

To be fair, however, the 19-year-old has only played in a single Summer League game. He may feel very differently after his initial contract is up and he hits free agency for the first time.